So @CosmicIvy convinced me to do this. May try to make this a regular thing. Who knows I’m trying to pursue a career in cybersecurity so I think posting this is a pretty good idea. Plus the forums has a lot of young members so I think this will be especaially helpful to that demographic.
Soooo…cybersecurity. How to not get hacked? Well you dont need a fancy firewall to protect yourself. You just need good common sense really.
-
Know that you are a target. Doesn’t matter if you’re young, old, poor, or as filthy rich as Jeff Bezos, hackers target everyone if they think they can get something out of you. Sometimes it’s not even money they’re after, but information. Selling people’s information is good way to make cash on the dark web.
-
I know passwords can be a pain in the butt. Especially when you have several accounts. It can be hard to keep up with them all. But practicing good password management will make it much harder for hackers to breach your account. Try not to use anything that’s personally identifiable. A good way to keep up with your passwords is to have a small book of written passwords. Yep I said it WRITTEN. There are digital password journals out there but these can be breached too. One theme in cybersecurity is conveince does not equal security.
-
Phishing emails. Ever seen the show Catfish on MTV where Nev and Max help people who are in online relationships with people that are probably using fake accounts? Same concept. Phishing is essentially sending you a fake email in attempt to trick you into giving out personal information. This is pretty much the most common way cyber attacks are carried out. About 4 years ago in Ukraine, attackers (probably affiliated with Russia), sent phishing emails to supervisors in power plnats all over the country that contained infected Word documents. Once they gained access to the plant’s systems, they blacked out portions of Ukraine for the citizens. Use your gut instinct when it comes to emails you don’t recognize. If it looks fishy (no pun intended) its probably a fake.
-
Be very wary of what you share on social media. This is probably the most important as it deals not only with cyber security but just general safety. DO NOT give out personal details here. Remember no one is truly who they say they are on the Internet. Criminals can piece unrelated bits of information about you and create a profile of you that can eventually lead to your physical address and full name. All it takes is time and skill enough to befriend you.
So that was waaaaaay longer than I anticipated it to be. Sorry Hey maybe I’ll do more of these if people like it